Dancing With The Stars Season 34 is over, and while it wasn't much of a surprise that Robert Irwin and Witney Carson ended up winning it all, it was a pretty great season. The season finale was a fantastic reminder of how great this cast was, as everyone pitched in to help make it a special night for viewers who stuck with it all season. Overall, I enjoyed it. However, there's one element I'd rather not see again when the series returns for the 2026 TV schedule.
That element I'm talking about is the Instant Dance Challenge, which I wrote about when it first popped up in the previous season. And I think it's safe to say we can do without it going forward.
Dancing With The Stars Brought Back The Instant Dance Challenge, And Exposed The Issues It Presents Once Again
The Instant Dance Challenge returned to Dancing With The Stars, and as I watched it with my Disney+ subscription, I couldn't help but shake my head. Once again, the audience was forced to endure a challenge in which contestants had to rehearse and perform a dance on the fly, only learning what they were doing minutes before.
The scores were almost all 10s from the judges, with Elaine Hendrix getting all 9s, but therein lies the problem. Even Carrie Ann Inaba, with all her criticisms, remarked that it's unfair to critique these contestants based on a dance performance when they've had next to no prep time, so why are we still doing it?
I Don't Think Anyone Benefits From Amateur Dancers Being Blindsided With Rushed Routines
If Dancing With The Stars' judges are giving softball scores for the performances, I'm not sure how the audience at home benefits from watching this challenge. I know less about dancing than anyone on the show, and by the time we've reached the finale, I want to see everyone performing to the best of their abilities. For example, I don't want to see Elaine Hendrix do a rushed quickstep; I'd rather see a polished and perfect routine that she's had time to prepare.
At its core, the Instant Dance Challenge feels like a test more for the pro dancers than the competitors, which isn't what DWTS is about. At the end of the day, the pros are there in service to the celebrities and often support other competitors and teams throughout the season. Dylan Efron already showed how hard it is to train a celebrity over the course of a week, so it's little surprise to me when a dance learned in five minutes looks sloppy.
Even when it's good, my only real reaction is a shrug. It still doesn't have the level of choreography or visuals of a prepared performance, so it's not as impressive as what we've seen in the season to that point.
What I would've preferred in its place is more time with the eliminated contestants, or maybe a Q&A between Julianne Hough and competitors about some drama that occurred during the season. I would've loved to see Corey Feldman with a mic after his comments ahead of his return, and I would have been interested to see what Whitney Leavitt had to say a week after her shocking elimination. I just think the show needs to go back to the drawing board and find something else to replace the Instant Dance Challenge.
Dancing With The Stars is finished for the year, and while it hasn't been officially renewed just yet, I would wager ABC will bring it back next fall, given the record-breaking votes that were cast. I can't wait to see who they get for a new season, and who will be the darlings we're all obsessed with this time next year. However, I really hope I don't have to watch another Instant Dance Challenge.
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